Community Based Corrections

Community Based Corrections The annotated bibliography on impacts of community based corrections on the criminal justice system covers the issues discussed below.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Community Based Corrections specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thesis Statement The proponents of community based corrections argue that there is need to find an alternative to imprisonment of nonviolent offenders which is low cost given the financial constraint the federal government is facing and the increasing jails populations. This alternative to incarceration has been widely adopted in United States of America and other countries in the world. This can be attributed to its ability to punish, rehabilitate, reintegrate and counsel convicted offenders. The results are safer and more productive communities. Therefore, community based correction programs have had positive impacts hence its wide adoption. Introduction Community based corr ections in the criminal justice system are programs that offer an alternative to jail term for convicted offenders. This is based on the fact that convicted offenders will eventually return into the community and therefore the need to repair the damage done to victims of crime and reform the offender in order to reduce the risk of re-offending potential. The proponents also believe that only a small percentage of these crimes committed necessitate capital punishment or incarceration. The petty offenders can also be punished using more humane and productive modes that consume fewer resources. The history of community based corrections The roots of community corrections shall be discussed. Criminal justice was seen as a harsh system especially to minor offenders. In the Nineteenth century judges had powers to delay sentences to offenders as long as they continued to behave well. This was eventually adopted and developed to incorporate a variety of community based sanctions. Administra tion of community based correction programs This part discusses the roles, positions and assumptions on which the criminal justice system is operated and how community corrections fit correctional goals. The actors in the community based corrections are also discussed and their roles in the criminal justice system The future of the community based corrections shall be discussed The role of community based corrections at the three major decision points After the arrest of an offender community based corrections play a crucial role at the decision points. The three decision points which are bail, sentencing and reentry will be discussed in details.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The goals of community based corrections The main goals of community based corrections are punishing the offenders while at the same time ensuring the safety of the public, addre ssing victim’s needs and curbing future acts of crime. This is done through various ways which will be discussed in the paper. Conclusion This part will cover the summary of the major topics discussed in the paper. Annotated bibliography Alarid, L.F., Cromwell, P.F., Carmen, R.V. (2007). Community-Based Corrections. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Community based corrections in the criminal justice system generally refer to an alternative mode of punishment for convicted offenders of non-violent and petty offenses. This has been popularized by the belief that convicted offenders need a form of correction that reintegrates them into the society and the need to use scarce government resources in a productive way. Alarid, Cromwell and Carmen (2007) in their book Community-Based Corrections gives in detail an in depth look into community based corrections including their goals and assumptions they are bases on, the three major decision points in which the system takes and their go als. This book also goes on to introduce the history of parole and reentry of prisoners into the society after parole and how community-based corrections can be incorporated into juvenile justice. Clear, T.R., Cole, G.F., Reisig, M.D. (2008). American Corrections. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Probation and community correction practice and procedure in America is discussed by Clear, Cole and Reisig (2008) in their book American Corrections. This traces the history of corrections programs from their introduction to development in America and how they are implemented today. This text also gives the legal aspects of probation, community corrections and the intermediate sanctions used in justice system in America. Colorado Legislative Council. (2003). An Overview of Community-Based Corrections in Colorado. Web. An overview of the community based corrections practice in the state of Colorado is given by a research publication by the Colorado Legislative Council (2003), Criminal Justice Community Based Corrections Overview 2003. An Overview of Community-Based Corrections in Colorado. This mainly gives a comparison of the correctional supervision across United States.  It continues to discuss in details the probation practice in the state, community correction programs in the state and how parole is carried out and the stakeholders involved. Conly, C. (1999). Coordinating Community Services for the Mentally Ill Offenders  Maryland’s Community Criminal Justice Treatment Program. Web. Conly (1999) in a report, Coordinating Community Services for the Mentally Ill Offenders: Maryland’s Community Criminal Justice Treatment program, produced for the Institute of Justice discusses Maryland state community criminal justice treatment programs in regard to the mentally ill offenders. She discusses in detail how these programs are carried out in the state, the target population and the stakeholders involved and their contribution.Advertising We will write a custom annotated bibliography sample on Community Based Corrections specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cromwel, P. Carmen, R.V. (1999). Community Based Corrections. Belmont, CA: West Wadsworth. Community based corrections are discussed in detail by Cromwel and Carmen, (1999) in their book Community-Based Corrections Fourth Edition. They discuss the legal foundations and history of probation from early criminal law in Europe and America to what it is today. Issues regarding parole practice and the various methods of community based corrections are discussed such as boot camps and community service. Gibbons, S.G. Rosecrance, J. (2004). Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections  in the United States. Denver, CO:  Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Rosecrance, a veteran with over twenty years of experience in probation and corrections in the system shares his opinions and experiences with Gibbons (2004) in the book Probation, Parole, and Co mmunity Corrections in the United States. The text discusses the history of probation and parole and their founding champions. It also details the three topics of probation, parole and community corrections giving practical experiences the authors have witnessed. It also gives recommendations for implementation to make the systems more effective. Lurigio, A.J. (ed) (1996). Community Corrections in America: New Directions and  Sounder Investments for Persons with Mental Illness and Co-disorders. Rear, Collingdale, PA: Diane Publishing. Community based corrections in regard to the mentally ill offenders is outlined in a monograph Community Corrections in America: New Directions and Sounder Investments for Persons with mental Illness and Co-disorders by Lurigio (Ed) (1996).. This describes how the punitive measures of the traditional criminal justice system affected the mentally ill and how the community corrections programs are administered in regard to the mentally ill today and th e positive effects this has had. Molly, A. (2003). Community-based Corrections: Seeking Court Support for a  Growing Need. Washington DC: US Judicially. Community based corrections are also discussed by Molly, (2003) in an article titled Community Corrections: Seeking Court Support for a Growing Need. The author gives an overview of the topic and the growing need to adopt this alternative in USA not only due to the growing budget but also to serve the goal of correction better. Finally the author proposes that courts play a big role in facilitating community corrections. Ortmeier, P.J. (1999). Public Safety and Security Administration. Oxford, UK: Butterworth Heinemann. In another discussion by Ortmeier in his book Public Safety and Security Administration, (1999), chapter six, he outlines the correctional process, the philosophies it is based on. He continues to differentiate between institutional corrections and non institutional corrections and how juvenile justice is handled i n regard to community based corrections. Sieh, E.W. (2006). Community Corrections and Human Dignity. Burlington, MA: Jones and Hartlett Publishers. In the book Community Corrections and Human Dignity, Sieh (2006) discusses community based corrections with regard to human dignity. The book also goes into detailed discussion of probation from how it started to how it is implemented today and the risks, needs and responses involved. It also links community corrections with human dignity and the alternatives we should consider for the future. References Alarid, L. F., Cromwell, P. F. Carmen, R.V. (2007). Community-Based Corrections. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.Advertising Looking for annotated bibliography on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Clear, T. R., Cole, G. F. Reisig, M. D. (2008). American Corrections. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Colorado Legislative Council. (2003). An Overview of Community-Based Corrections in Colorado. Web. Conly, C. (1999). Coordinating Community Services for the Mentally Ill Offenders  Maryland’s Community Criminal Justice Treatment Program. Web. Cromwel, P. and Carmen, R. V. (1999). Community Based Corrections. Belmont, CA: West Wadsworth. Gibbons, S. G. Rosecrance, J. (2004). Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections  in the United States. Denver, CO:  Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Lurigio, A. J. (ed) (1996). Community Corrections in America: New Directions and  Sounder Investments for Persons with Mental Illness and Co-disorders. Rear, Collingdale, PA: Diane Publishing. Molly, A. (2003). Community-based Corrections: Seeking Court Support for a  Growing Need. Washington DC: US Judicially. Ortmeier, P. J. (1999). Public Safety and Security Administration. Oxford, UK: But terworth Heinemann. Sieh, E. W. (2006). Community Corrections and Human Dignity. Burlington, MA: Jones and Hartlett Publishers.

To Serve God and Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

To Serve God and Wal-Mart - Essay Example Moreton has brought out the family unit as a very instrumental part in the general success of the company. She draws the rise of the values regarded by the family focusing on reproduction and sexuality in conjunction with the rise in service economy as a result of the shift to the reproductive industry from the initial production industries. The family issue in this case according to Merton, meant the rural people of Ozark whose main economic activity was farming as opposed to the urban forks in the northern states that were more of industrialists. The people in Ozark and most populist southern states were against the springing up of chain stores in their neighborhood because they were owned by the wealthy northerners and they resulted in loss of employment and low income to the locals who were trying to compete against them. Walton employed the local people in his chains and subsequently allowed them to own shares in the store and other stores that are being opened. This idea was ta ken up enthusiastically by the family and the locals, because they felt that the chains belonged to them thus less resistance from the locals. Her argument seems convincing because the locals and the chain managers worked hard to maintain their steady profits apart from their salary because they too had invested there. Most large chain companies concentrated in large towns where there were many customers, this is evidence to the fact that Wal-Mart grew easily due to lack of competition in the rural south where it existed alone. In this manner the Wal-Mart rode on the popularity it gained amongst the locals to avoid commercial advertisements and opened more and more stores with the help of the locals, this support was even higher as a resulting of being listed in the stock exchange which brought more capital to expand to other large cities. The cheapest price as the best deal was made to look solidly as a Christian virtue by the Wal-Mart so that the saved money is channeled to other family businesses. Christianity which was the main religion in Ozark and United States in general determined how people conducted themselves and the various virtues that governed the society in addition to recognition of Jesus Christ as the son of God, therefore people are expected to emulate the way He led His life while on Earth. The service leadership popularity in various business and evangelical publications which brought the issue of servant leadership that advocated for feminine, reproductive labor, taken to a higher level in ideological significance, being humble, and men being advised to be active at home so that they keep their promise and to be good examples of leaders at work like Jesus. To emphasize this point, women were to recognize the male leadership as advocated in the Bible even if it meant only in a symbolic manner, this soft patriarch made it easier for the men and women to work together because women could not complain considering the fact that they were to do the work as Christians, providing services cheerfully to others and cherish that opportunity. This changed the negative job attitude to a positive one. The low wages paid to the workers made it easier for Wal-Mart to continue selling their products cheaply and outdo other competitors. Mr. Walton had

Leadership Personal Issues and the Rules of Law Assignment

Leadership Personal Issues and the Rules of Law - Assignment Example Consequently, they made obligatory that the recruits ought to have two years college credits merits or two years in the military. Nonetheless, there has never been consensus over the issues. Those arguing against the postsecondary education prerequisite hold that the requirement the unreasonably limits the current thin applicant pool by not including the otherwise other qualified applicants. In addition, they argue against the requirement as discriminatory in nature and therefore have a disproportionate negative blow on minorities because it provides unequal opportunities for secondary schooling. They also view that higher education does not entirely provide all the skills looked-for to execute the job since those skills come exclusively because of experience in the policing career. On the contrary, those who support the requirement also have stern reasons for their stand. They believe that policing is a complex career, where knowledge and skills indispensable to do the job effectively can only be scholarly acquired in a classroom, and not exclusively through on-the-job experience. The society has become progressively more well-informed, and it is indispensable for polic e to keep tempo with the larger civic. According to proponents, postsecondary recruits are more mature and more-rounded and are likely to interact easily with the public to offer solutions with understanding rather than authoritarian approach. Consequently, they hold that those who learn criminal justice at higher institutions will bring a more in-depth acquaintance of the system, its diverse components, how it works, as well as the established hypotheses on the causes of crime.  

Investigation Completion and Analysis Essay Example for Free

Investigation Completion and Analysis Essay Evaporation is a process where liquid is converted to vapor with the purpose of separating it from a dissolved solid or from a liquid that is higher in boiling point in experiments or investigations on how to separate soluble solid in liquids (Holland, 2005). Evaporation technique was chosen for the experiment because it is easy and simple to execute compared to other methods of separation such as distillation. 2. Distillation Distillation is an investigative technique used in separation of mixtures based on conditional and differences required to change the components phases of the mixture. It can be applied in a mixture of liquids, and the mixture of soluble solutes and solvents like in this experiment. During the distillation process, the water is heated into the gas phase of the vapor leaving the salts deposits, then condenses back into liquid form that is then collected. The process is then repeated again to improve the water purity (Porteous, 2010). This method was obtained because pure water can be obtained 3. Crystallization This technique is a process of solid crystals formation from a solution. This technique is a technique of separating solids and liquids in which transfer of solute from a solution to a solid crystalline which pure occurs (Jones, 2002). This method was chosen because pure solutes can be obtained. Modifications made, and justification for the changes 1. In evaporation, I applied some heat from flames to the containers holding solution of water and salt. I applied the heat to increase the rate of evaporation instead of leaving it open in the air and under the sunshine that is slow. 2. I used ice in the condenser to condense maximum amount of vapor. Moreover, I re-distilled the condensed water to get maximum dissolved salts again. 3. In crystallization, I left the crystallization process to proceed slowly undisturbed instead of fast cooling. This was to prevent impurities from getting attached to the salts and also to get bigger crystals. Ways to ensure the accuracy To ensure accuracy, I ensured that the same amount of solvent and solution was used in the three experiments. Moreover, an equal amount of time was applied on all the experiments to get accurate results. Lastly, I ensured that the salts and the water had no impurities that could affect their boiling points. Ways to ensure reliability Reliability in the techniques was determined by the experiments producing consistent results. To ensure reliability, I started with the evaporation method which the results were salt and water, distillation and crystallization also produced consistent results of salt and water.Ways to ensure validity Validity indicates the extent to which the applied technique in the separation process separated the components it was intended to separate. To ensure the validity, I ensured that salt and water which were the components of the solution that was to be separated were the end products. The process requires a lot of heat energy which might be expensive. However, solar heat is slow and evaporates small quantities of the solution. The method is suitable in situations where salt is the only product needed. However, collection of water vapor is difficultDistillation The distillation process desalinate water removes dangerous heavy metals like mercury, arsenic and lead, and the soluble salts that harden the water such as magnesium, calcium and phosphorous. Therefore, it is preferable for distillation of drinking water. However, this process is ineffective in separation of soluble salts that has lower boiling points than water such as synthetic chemicals, chlorine solutions, herbicides and pesticides (Porteous, 2010). Moreover, it requires large source of heat which is costly. Lastly, the distillation process strips water its natural trace elements; hence the hydrogen composition in water increases and makes water acidic (Porteous, 2010). Crystallization The process is complex compared to the evaporation method. It is also unsuitable where water is to be collected as an end product. However, it is advantageous since pure salts can be obtained for usage (Jones, 2002). b) Suggestions of possible improvements Alternative sources of heat could be used such as the use of solar energy to reduce high costs incurred in the evaporation and distillation process. Despite the fact that solar energy cannot produce a high amount of energy needed to heat the large amount of the solution for a longer duration of time, it is the best cost-wise. Given that some dissolved salts have lower boiling points than the water hence difficult to separate them from water, the boiling point of water can be lowered by lowering the gas pressure above the liquid. The distillation process strips water its natural trace elements, hence making water to be acidic due to increased proportion of hydrogen. To avoid water being acidic, beneficial salts can be added into the water for human consumption such as calcium that is good in formation of bones. References Holland, C. D. (2005). Fundamentals and modeling of separation processes: absorption, distillation, evaporation, and extraction. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall. Jones, A. G. (2002). Crystallization process systems. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Porteous, A. (2010). Saline water distillation processes. London: Longman. Source document

Drugs Essay -- essays research papers

I was powerless over drinking and using... Imagine a cold, unheated apartment in the middle of Hollywood. A bachelor sized apartment. No pictures hanging on the wall, a mattress in the middle of the floor, a hard back folding chair sitting in the middle of the room, a few kitchen utensils and some old pots and pans laid on and around the kitchen stove with no place to go. You could hear the traffic zooming by on Franklin Avenue. When you opened the door with your key, you could see cockroaches running about on the walls and the floors. It felt was cold and smelled awful. The first time I was visited by my then boyfriend, I watched him shoot cocaine, and kept a careful eye on where all the cockroaches were headed. It wasn't long before I allowed him to shoot me up also. It happened in that apartment, the place two sick, suffering addicts, my boyfriend and I, called home. This is the place I remember when I think about taking another drink again. By God's grace, I will never have to go back there again. Thirteen years later, I am still so grateful for my sobriety and abstinence from all mind-altering drugs. I'd like to tell a bit of my story and a bit of my recovery. The feeling I got after cocaine went through my veins, into my brain was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was sure ecstasy. My body convulsed as the drug took its effect. Time was no longer a part of my world. Who knows how long we spent in that awful apartment. I hallucinated and felt things touch me that weren't real clear to the naked eye. I was truly in another world, an evil, dark world. He always provided the drugs and alcohol. When the drug would start to wear off, panic would set in. I remember wishing I had a gun to kill myself. The pain that set in when my body began to crave more was again like no other feeling I've ever experienced, or want to experience again. I couldn't sleep, I felt extremely hopeless, my body couldn't sit still and my mind would not stop racing. It was absolute hell. Thank God there wasn't a loaded gun ar ound. This is what it was like. I was prey to misery and depression, did not have any real friends, and most of all I hated myself. I knew I could not take any more cocaine. If I did, I wouldn't be writing to you today. However, this is a disease that affects the body, mind and spirit. My mind was gone. If I was offered cocaine, I could not turn it down. I mi... ... me if I ever injected into my neck veins. I thought-I'll stop before it gets that bad. Later on in my addiction I collapsed veins in both sides of my neck. I said I would NEVER sell my body, but Sept. of 1997 I started doing just that. While in my current program, I made the difficult decision to have the family that adopted my first child adopt Amanda as well. I know it was the right choice. I have held the same job at a dog grooming shop for a year, and will graduate this program this year. I am saving my money to get a car. I have found some self esteem and forgiveness of myself. I like myself for the first time since early childhood. Next Fall I plan to go to college to get certification to be a Substance Abuse Counselor, or go to school to learn computer animation or computer graphics. I haven't decided yet. I just know that I want to help other addicts. I attend 12-Step meetings, and spend most weekends with my parents or birth mother. I have learned a sense of responsibility and have learned to take care of myself. I still have hard times, but they are a luxury compared to my problems I faced while on drugs. Just having a nice safe clean bed at night makes me grateful!

Adrienne Rich on Power in Society

Adrienne Rich on power in society Introduction The theme that interested me most in the poems by Adrienne Rich was the inadequacy of language as a means of communication. Rich shows that the reason for this lies in the way language expresses power relationships in society. Often this means the unequal relationship between women and men, but also between the powerful and the powerless. This theme is touched upon in almost every poem we studied, from Rich’s early poems to those written later. To illustrate how Rich explores this theme I will look in detail at â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers†, â€Å"The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room†, â€Å"Our Whole Life†.Paragraph 1 In â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers†, Rich creates a fantastic image of the aunt’s nonverbal communication through her tapestry. The poem opens with a vivid picture of the colourful, energetic alive world depicted on the tapestry. The aunt infuses the world of the tigers with many of the attributes she misses in her own life: a sense of being truly alive and in tune with the environment, and a state of fearlessness: â€Å"They do not fear the men beneath the tree/ They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. The ee- sound in these lines introduces a note of terror that heralds what is to come. Indeed the phrasing suggests a reason for fear from men. The feelings that the aunt is projecting into her artwork, her own fears and desires are developed in the middle stanza. Her shaking, fearful hands â€Å"fingers fluttering† are very vivid and the fact that they find the â€Å"needle hard to pull† suggests physical weakness and contrasts very much with the tigers. Paragraph 2 The reason for this weakness is â€Å"Uncle’s wedding band/ Sits heavily† on her â€Å"hand†.The possessive â€Å"Uncle’s† suggests that this is a one-way marriage that drains all life out of the aunt. Her hands come to represent her pers on in this poem and it is the hands that do the ‘talking’. The Uncle’s power over her seems to continue in death â€Å"When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie/ Still ringed with the ordeals she was mastered by. † However, her unspoken, yet very articulate legacy remains: â€Å"The tigers in the panel that she made/ Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid. The tigers represent happiness, confidence and thereby beauty. Interestingly, this image of self-determination and sense of entitlement to the world is projected into the jungle, i. e. outside of society. This is where freedom exists and Aunt’s art gives expression to this. Paragraph 3 In contrast to Aunt Jennifer’s indirect communication, â€Å"The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room† is the dramatic monologue of a wealthy, powerful man. He speaks as a representative of the ruling class looking out at a group of discontent working people.These people have neither wealth nor pow er. They have gathered outside his big house to express their anger at this inequality. The uncle’s attempt to convey confidence and reassurance to his family is undermined by the images of anger outside. The poem’s sound expresses this threat. O- sounds and S-sounds dominate: â€Å"Standing sullen in the square [†¦] Some have held and fingered stones. † As the poem develops, the Uncle’s own fear becomes clear. The image of â€Å"glass† echoes and comes to symbolise â€Å"class†.He admits that the â€Å"frailties of glass [†¦] Lead in times like these to fear/ For crystal vase and chandelier. † Even his reassurance â€Å"None as yet dare lift an arm† achieves the opposite – the suggestion of an uncertain future, â€Å"arm† in fact has two meanings in this context! Paragraph 4 In fact the two most vivid images in the poem are the angry crowd outdoors on the one hand and the terrified forefather (indoors à ¢â‚¬â€œ like this family) on the other: â€Å"When our grandsire stood aghast/ To see his antique ruby bowl/ Shivered in a thunder-roll. Despite his attempts to reassure, the Uncle admits to deep unease at the end of the poem regarding the precarious position of his class as â€Å"We stand between the dead glass-blowers/ And murmurings of missile-throwers. † In terms of the theme of language, the Uncle uses it to express his position as a powerful wealthy man. Although his fears still become clear, it is still a useful tool for him. The workers outside do not have a voice, their language is not verbal: â€Å"sullen stares†, â€Å"bitter tones† and holding â€Å"stones†. There is no common language between the powerful and the powerless.Paragraph 5 â€Å"Our Whole Life† was written later. There is a stark change in terms of form to the previous two poems. It is written in free verse and uses no punctuation whatever. This in itself indicates Richâ⠂¬â„¢s thinking about language and the ability to express truth. Here, she strips it of its traditional appearance. In terms of theme, â€Å"Our Whole Life† explores the shocking gulf between the powerful and the powerless at a new level. Language has failed the powerless completely. Language is used to manipulate people’s thoughts about the world, â€Å"rendered into the oppressor’s language†.In an incredibly vivid image Rich depicts language as a violent and self-destructive wild animal: â€Å"and now a knot of lies/ eating at itself to get undone/ Words bitten thru words†. The biting and eating is enacted in the abbreviated spelling â€Å"thru†. People’s actual lives and experience cannot be told: â€Å"meanings burnt-off like paint/ under the blowtorch/ All those dead letters/ rendered into the oppressor’s language†. Paragraph 6 This poem places one shocking image after the other and language has become an instrument in a very violent world.The vision goes much further than in â€Å"The Uncle Speaks†, it encompasses the whole world and is in essence apocalyptic. The image of the burning Algerian walking away from his village to a doctor with no words to describe is pain is haunting: â€Å"his whole body a cloud of pain/ and there are no words for this/ except himself†. The absence of punctuation and in particular of a concluding full stop suggests the ongoing nature of the problem. Language has completely and disastrously failed its purpose as a means of communication between humans.In conclusion, Rich has opened up for me a way of looking at language that in some ways coincides with my own thinking and experience. However, she takes it unflinchingly and with amazing honesty and courage to a final analysis. She creates in her poetry unforgettable images for how women and all the powerless have been deprived of a means of expressing themselves. Language is an instrument of the powe rful. Although Rich’s poetry is a reflection of radical feminism and political struggle in the USA during the 6os and 70s I feel that what if conveys is as true now as it was then. Adrienne Rich on Power in Society Adrienne Rich on power in society Introduction The theme that interested me most in the poems by Adrienne Rich was the inadequacy of language as a means of communication. Rich shows that the reason for this lies in the way language expresses power relationships in society. Often this means the unequal relationship between women and men, but also between the powerful and the powerless. This theme is touched upon in almost every poem we studied, from Rich’s early poems to those written later. To illustrate how Rich explores this theme I will look in detail at â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers†, â€Å"The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room†, â€Å"Our Whole Life†.Paragraph 1 In â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers†, Rich creates a fantastic image of the aunt’s nonverbal communication through her tapestry. The poem opens with a vivid picture of the colourful, energetic alive world depicted on the tapestry. The aunt infuses the world of the tigers with many of the attributes she misses in her own life: a sense of being truly alive and in tune with the environment, and a state of fearlessness: â€Å"They do not fear the men beneath the tree/ They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. The ee- sound in these lines introduces a note of terror that heralds what is to come. Indeed the phrasing suggests a reason for fear from men. The feelings that the aunt is projecting into her artwork, her own fears and desires are developed in the middle stanza. Her shaking, fearful hands â€Å"fingers fluttering† are very vivid and the fact that they find the â€Å"needle hard to pull† suggests physical weakness and contrasts very much with the tigers. Paragraph 2 The reason for this weakness is â€Å"Uncle’s wedding band/ Sits heavily† on her â€Å"hand†.The possessive â€Å"Uncle’s† suggests that this is a one-way marriage that drains all life out of the aunt. Her hands come to represent her pers on in this poem and it is the hands that do the ‘talking’. The Uncle’s power over her seems to continue in death â€Å"When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie/ Still ringed with the ordeals she was mastered by. † However, her unspoken, yet very articulate legacy remains: â€Å"The tigers in the panel that she made/ Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid. The tigers represent happiness, confidence and thereby beauty. Interestingly, this image of self-determination and sense of entitlement to the world is projected into the jungle, i. e. outside of society. This is where freedom exists and Aunt’s art gives expression to this. Paragraph 3 In contrast to Aunt Jennifer’s indirect communication, â€Å"The Uncle Speaks in the Drawing Room† is the dramatic monologue of a wealthy, powerful man. He speaks as a representative of the ruling class looking out at a group of discontent working people.These people have neither wealth nor pow er. They have gathered outside his big house to express their anger at this inequality. The uncle’s attempt to convey confidence and reassurance to his family is undermined by the images of anger outside. The poem’s sound expresses this threat. O- sounds and S-sounds dominate: â€Å"Standing sullen in the square [†¦] Some have held and fingered stones. † As the poem develops, the Uncle’s own fear becomes clear. The image of â€Å"glass† echoes and comes to symbolise â€Å"class†.He admits that the â€Å"frailties of glass [†¦] Lead in times like these to fear/ For crystal vase and chandelier. † Even his reassurance â€Å"None as yet dare lift an arm† achieves the opposite – the suggestion of an uncertain future, â€Å"arm† in fact has two meanings in this context! Paragraph 4 In fact the two most vivid images in the poem are the angry crowd outdoors on the one hand and the terrified forefather (indoors à ¢â‚¬â€œ like this family) on the other: â€Å"When our grandsire stood aghast/ To see his antique ruby bowl/ Shivered in a thunder-roll. Despite his attempts to reassure, the Uncle admits to deep unease at the end of the poem regarding the precarious position of his class as â€Å"We stand between the dead glass-blowers/ And murmurings of missile-throwers. † In terms of the theme of language, the Uncle uses it to express his position as a powerful wealthy man. Although his fears still become clear, it is still a useful tool for him. The workers outside do not have a voice, their language is not verbal: â€Å"sullen stares†, â€Å"bitter tones† and holding â€Å"stones†. There is no common language between the powerful and the powerless.Paragraph 5 â€Å"Our Whole Life† was written later. There is a stark change in terms of form to the previous two poems. It is written in free verse and uses no punctuation whatever. This in itself indicates Richâ⠂¬â„¢s thinking about language and the ability to express truth. Here, she strips it of its traditional appearance. In terms of theme, â€Å"Our Whole Life† explores the shocking gulf between the powerful and the powerless at a new level. Language has failed the powerless completely. Language is used to manipulate people’s thoughts about the world, â€Å"rendered into the oppressor’s language†.In an incredibly vivid image Rich depicts language as a violent and self-destructive wild animal: â€Å"and now a knot of lies/ eating at itself to get undone/ Words bitten thru words†. The biting and eating is enacted in the abbreviated spelling â€Å"thru†. People’s actual lives and experience cannot be told: â€Å"meanings burnt-off like paint/ under the blowtorch/ All those dead letters/ rendered into the oppressor’s language†. Paragraph 6 This poem places one shocking image after the other and language has become an instrument in a very violent world.The vision goes much further than in â€Å"The Uncle Speaks†, it encompasses the whole world and is in essence apocalyptic. The image of the burning Algerian walking away from his village to a doctor with no words to describe is pain is haunting: â€Å"his whole body a cloud of pain/ and there are no words for this/ except himself†. The absence of punctuation and in particular of a concluding full stop suggests the ongoing nature of the problem. Language has completely and disastrously failed its purpose as a means of communication between humans.In conclusion, Rich has opened up for me a way of looking at language that in some ways coincides with my own thinking and experience. However, she takes it unflinchingly and with amazing honesty and courage to a final analysis. She creates in her poetry unforgettable images for how women and all the powerless have been deprived of a means of expressing themselves. Language is an instrument of the powe rful. Although Rich’s poetry is a reflection of radical feminism and political struggle in the USA during the 6os and 70s I feel that what if conveys is as true now as it was then.

Sub--Chaucer art of characterization as found in prologue...

Chaucer begins the Prologue with a beautiful announcement of spring. This introduction is the voice of the Poet, polished, elegant, and finished. He tells us that just as Nature has a predictable course through the seasons, so does human nature follow a seasonal pattern, which causes people to want to break out of winters confinement and go traveling in the spring. Thus the stage is set for Chaucer, who is the Narrator of this poem. Twenty-nine travelers meet at the Tabard Inn in London before undertaking a journey to the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The group is assembling as Chaucer arrives and, as he observes the group and interacts with some of them, he decides that he will join their party. From his vantage point as†¦show more content†¦On the other hand the nun who gives much importance to minor things. On the other hand, the Knight who gives much importance to things that really matters. To describe how the nun was Chaucer writes with irony the description of the nun Prioress, everything that Chaucer says about her means the opposite. A nun should be modest, had to have poverty, and pity. Chaucer describes the nun in the opposite way to show us, how the nun Prioress had all the characteristics that a nun should not have. She was a nun modest, well educated and with good manners. She also had tender feelings, and a strong love for God and his creations. The author connects the relationship between how she sang and with her nose. He is sarcastic when relating her physical and spiritual beauty. She spoke French well and properly in this quote properly means with good manners, not with slang words or with the popular language used in France. For the French of Paris was unknown to her.(124) All of these characteristics show how the nun Prioress was focused on things that should not be important for a nun. Among her minor things, the nun in the tale actions was cautious and splendid. Her manners were unique, and practiced with perfection. (133) The author makes us understand that her behavior with such perfection was not because she was obligated to act in this way. It was because having manners and being educated gave her